Belt tightener or stretcher



UNITED STATES Patented September 20, 1904.

PATENT @FFICE.

JOHN E. GRIFEN AND CHARLES W. FRICK, OF HAYTI, MISSOURI.

BELT TIG HTENER OR STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 770,637, dated September 20, 1904.

Application filed July 11, 1904. Serial No- 216,0'73- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOHN E. GRIFEN and CHARLES W. FRIOK, citizens of the United States, residing at Hayti, in the county of Pemiscot and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Belt Tightener or Stretcher, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices employed for drawing the ends of driving-belts together for lacing or otherwise fastening the same, and has for its object to provide a device of this character simple in construction, strong and durable, easily adapted and applied to all sizes of belts, and efficient in action.

With these and other objects in View which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood the same consists in certain novel features of construction, as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which corresponding parts are denoted by like designating characters, is illustrated the preferred form of the embodiment of the invention capable of carrying the same into practical operation, it being understood that the invention is not necessarily limited thereto, as various changes in the shape, proportions, and general assemblage of the parts may be resorted to without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages, and the right is therefore reserved of making all the changes and modifications which fairly fall within the scope of the invention and the claims made therefor.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the improved device applied.

The improved device comprises clamp-bars 1O 11, arranged in pairs for engaging the belt ends 12 13 from opposite sides and disposed opposite each other at a short distance from the lacing-holes 14: 15 or other fastening means. One member of each pair of the bars 10 11 will be provided with graduations, as at 16, to enable the bars to be quickly adjusted centrally of the belt when being placed thereon. .The clamping-bars will also be extended beyond the edges of the belt ends, and each pair of extended ends will be provided with a clamping means for forcibly compressing them, and thus correspondingly compressing the bars upon the belt. Each pair of the extended ends of the clamp-bars is provided with one of the clamping means, and as they are all alike the description of one will sufiice for all, and to thisend like reference characters are employed to denote like parts in each.

The clamping means consists of arms 17 18, arranged in pairs, pivotally united at one end, as at 19, and with one arm of each pair provided with spaced ratchet-teeth 20 and the other arm provided with a lever 21, pivoted thereto, as at 22, and with a pawl 23 for engaging the ratchet-teeth. By this simple arrangement it will be obvious that the arms 17 18 may be forcibly clamped upon the clamp-bars 1O 11 to firmly compress the latter upon the belt ends.

Connected to the free ends of the arms 17 18 are links 24 25, each pair of links united to an eye 26 in a threaded rod 27, the rods of each opposite pair of clamping-arms extending toward each other and connected by a turnbuckle 28, the threads on the rods being in reverse order, so that as the turnbuckles are rotated the rods will be drawn toward or away from each other, as will be obvious. By this simple arrangement when the belt ends are to be drawn together for applying the lacings or other fastening means the clampbars 10 11 are placed in position and adjusted, by means of the graduations 16, centrally of the belt ends and the clamp-arms 17 18 connected to their outer ends, and the lever-arms 21 operated to firmly compress the clampbars upon the belt. The turnbuckles 28 at each side are then simultaneously rotated to forcibly draw the clamping means toward each other, together with the belt ends held thereby, until the same are near enough to each other to apply the lacings or other fastenings.

It will thus be obvious that a very simplyconstructed and powerful device is produced which may be applied to any size or length of belt and will be found very useful and convenient for the purposes described.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim is 1. A belt-tightener comprising clamp-bars for engaging the belt ends from opposite sides and-extending beyond the edges of the same, spacedarms disposed in pairs and pivotally united at one end for engaging said clampbars from opposite sides, one member of each pair of said arms having a plurality of spaced ratchet-teeth and the other member of each pair of arms having a pivoted lever provided with a pawl for engaging said teeth and means for forcibly moving said clamping members toward each other to impart reversely longitudinal strains upon thebelt ends.

2. A belt-tightener comprising clamp-bars for engaging the belt ends from opposite sides and extending beyond the edges of the same, spaced arms disposed in pairs and pivotally united at one end for engaging said clampbars from opposite sides, one member of each pair of said .arms having a plurality of spaced ratchet-teeth and the other member-of each pair ofarms'having a ,pivoted lever provided with a pawl for engaging said teeth, rods extending between the free ends-of saidpairs of arms, and connected to the same by movable links and withthe freeends-of the rods repivotally united at one end for engaging said.

clamp-bars from opposite sides, one member of each pair of said arms having a plurality of spaced ratchet-teeth and the othermember ofeach pair of arms having a pivoted lever provided with a pawl for engaging said teeth and means for forciblymoving said clamping members toward each other to impart re- Versely longitudinal strains upon the belt ends. In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of .two witnesses.

J. E. GRIFEN. CHARLES W. ERICK.

Witnesses:

Jo N L. DORRIS, JOHN N. CLEMENS. 

